Woodpecker

Like the other birds, this woodpecker also flew away when I tried to take pictures of it. When I arrived, it was on a tree. After I started taking pictures, it flew to the roof of this house. Using my zoom lens, I was able to take a closer picture.

Food Hunting

Away from the river, and back in the city, I found several birds looking for food. When I first stopped to take pictures, there were about 20 birds. After I stopped and started taking pictures, they all flew away. Except for this bird. It didn't mind me taking pictures of it, as long as I didn't get in between him and his food.

Crashing Waves

Closer to the banks of the river, the waves actually crashed. The shallow water forced the waves to fold over themselves. Like the other wave picture, I wanted to get as low to the water as I could, but the shrubbery and plants didn't allow me.

Waves

It was a breezy day on the river. There weren't many big waves, just a lot of small ones. I was trying to capture a wave folding over, but they weren't big enough to crest over themselves. I was also trying to get as low to the water as possible, but this was about the closest I could get.

Dead Tree

Still, on the banks of the river, I found this dead tree. It seemed odd that a tree would die next to water, but on second thought, I believe it died from a disease or it rotted. Another reason I took pictures of it was that the branches had no leaves on them. I enjoy the contrast between the branches and the bright sky.

Water Grass

Another plant on the banks of this river is this type of grass. It is very tall, probably since no one has cut it, and has a small flower on top. The grass stem seems green but the flower seems to be dry. How can that be if it grows in the water? I don't know.

River Plants

On the banks of the river are several types of plants. There is tall grass, small trees, and these plants. I wanted to take pictures of these plants because they are very simplistic with flowers only on the ends. I also admire how the trees and water in the background are blurred but still recognizable.

Tunnel Vision

Underneath a busy roadway is this river. I thought it was fascinating to see the tunnel get smaller and smaller, but it is also interesting since there is a fisherman. I also like how the bridge looks old. It has marks on the beams and pillars that make the picture more attractive.

Saturday Stroll

On a hot and windy Saturday, this family of ducks decided to go on a stroll. The temperature was about 97 degrees, but the wind made the air feel much cooler. The ducks probably didn't notice that the temperature was so high since they are constantly in the water.

Water Spiders

Some animals, like these spiders, are light enough to float on water. I found these black spiders in the shade of a tree. It is interesting how we can see the shape of the spiders. They have four legs that spread out from its body which help it stay afloat.

River

On the path that I posted earlier, this river snaked through the trees. The river offers some of a reflection from the trees in the background. You can see the outline and color of the trees but, the wind made a perfect reflection impossible.

Path into the Trees

I thought this path would be interesting to photograph because the bright colors pop out of the picture. The bright greens stand out even in the shade. There is a little too much green. I would have like to find a path with more water from the lake or brown from the trunks of the trees and ground.

Perched

Perched atop a tree, this crow was talking to all the other birds in the area. I like how we are able to see the colors of the tree in this picture. There is a clear difference between the black feathers on the bird and the brown branch from the tree.

Contrast

I like the contrast between the dark sky and the even darker branch. It is a very faint green, but I like how there is some green still showing from the branch. I wish the branch showed more of its color to give even more contrast to the sky.

Hand

This bolt reminds me of a hand reaching out for something. A thing that confuses me is, why did the lightning streak to another cloud? Why didn't it go to the ground? Maybe the bolt was attracted by another bolt so it went to where the other bolt was. Or, there was nothing on the ground that the lightning could strike, as in something metal or a tree.

 Bolt

One interesting thing to photograph about lightning but scary fact about lightning is it can strike anywhere, at any time, and at anything. I like how most bolts of lightning are not the same. It means that you might be the only person who has evidence of the lightning. 

Lightning

As a storm rolled through Texas, I was prepared to take pictures of it. I tried to capture the lightning by taking pictures of it. Once I realized it was nearly impossible to take pictures of lightning, I videotaped it. After the storm, I looked over the video and screenshotted the frames with lightning in it. It isn't the most effective way, but it works.

Background

As well as finding new vantage points, good photographers also try to find interesting backgrounds. In this picture, I like how there is another flower and a tree. I also like how the flowers contrast the darkness of the tree, but the tree doesn't fill the entire background.

Bunny Hops

After allowing me to take pictures of it, the white-tailed rabbit decided to move. I like how I was able to take a picture of the rabbit as it was about to hop along. Using the simple vantage point trick, I was able to dodge the fence and get a more interesting photo.

Vantage Points

When taking pictures, good photographers find unexpected vantage points to take new pictures that no one has captured before. One of the easiest vantage points is putting the camera closer to the ground. It is very simple but allows for more interesting pictures. I started taking pictures of this rabbit from a normal position, but getting closer to the ground made the picture more interesting.